Join the super stars and benefit from having a personal development coach

Hiring a personal development coach can be an expensive exercise but investing in yourself at this level will yield great returns in the long run. To be crystal clear on your vision, firmly grounded in your values and to have a customized framework for all your future decisions are three worthwhile reasons to consider personal coaching for yourself, says Quinton Douman, CEO of 212 Consulting.

A friend of mine always told me that if it is not diarised then it’s probably not going to happen and unfortunately it is almost always the most important things in our lives that don’t feature in our weekly or monthly planning.

We diarise important client meetings and we diarise strategy sessions but seldom do you see items such as “reflection”, “personal development” and “idea generation” in our diaries. Most people are not deliberate enough about creating moments and spaces where they can look at their lives closely and objectively so you will find that people who wish to grow and develop themselves are now investing in professional life coaches, performance coaches and executive coaches. But is this essential to our well being or merely a twenty first century trend?

Top professionals in sport and in business have been benefiting from one-on-one coaching for decades and the decision to hire a coach is precipitated by a strong desire to take full control of your life, health, career and or relationships.

GIGO, a term which is often used in computer science also applies to coaching; GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT! While the value of your coaching journey will depend on the quality of the questions asked by your coach, the results are completely dependent on your willingness to answer them honestly and openly.

The tools used in coaching include ones that will enhance your self-awareness, which improves both intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships.

Often, people who are full of energy and confidence are sometimes experienced by others as arrogant and verbose; people who are thoughtful and calculated are sometimes experienced by others as delayed and over analytical therefore, the coaching process must among other things help you identify your unique idiosyncrasies and reveal to you how they show up in the world.

We all have blind spots in certain areas of our lives and it is very often moments of vulnerability that lead us to not only identifying these blind spots but also embracing them.

My best and most successful clients have been the ones who have hired me for a very specific purpose, sometimes it is a repositioning strategy in an organisation, sometimes it is as a result of a promotion into a new role or sometimes the launching of a new business – whatever it is, it is always a good idea to approach coaching with a particular goal in mind.

For more information on Quinton Douman or to read some of his insightful and game-changing blog posts, visit www.quintondouman.co.za